Variations on a Theme
by TisTheEast
Summary: several outcomes for one request. My response to the Dinner Challenge
1. Variation 1

**Tile: Variations on a Theme  
  
**Author: Juliet (pandora1251@yahoo.com)  
  
**Rating: PG  
  
**Spoilers: Recipe For Murder is the big one here!  
  
**Summary: several outcomes for one request. My response to the Dinner Challenge  
  
**Archive: The Graveyard Shift, Sandbox Love, ShipperworldCSI...any others, just drop me an email!  
  
**Author's Notes: why settle for writing one follow-up for an episode when you can write three?? Ok so maybe I should elaborate a little bit, each chapter of this fic is a different "variation" (aka story) of the dinner that happened at the end of Recipe for Murder. Each one starts and ends at the same place, but the actual situations are all unique. Had I had all the time in the world and no others works in progress, there would be about 50 variations. However, I figured that soon enough I'll have a whooping 90 minutes of new CSI to write about, I stick with my three favorites. As always, enjoy!  
  
**Thank-you's: Gabe-you are the Grissom to my Catherine ;) Joe-for always listening to my plot difficulties. The Graveyard Shift Groupies, especially Lauri, Allie, Manda, and Angie-for keeping me motivated with your messages and our awesome chats!! This fic is in honor of both a great ep and the fact the Graveyard Shift is now 100+ members strong. *raises a glass* here's to you guys!  
  
  
  
Variation #1  
  
He looked back at the woman standing quietly beside him, "So you up for dinner?"  
  
She smiled gently, lowering her eyes for a moment, then looked up at him, with blue eyes sparkling like diamonds.  
  
"Of course," she replied, winking at him as she began to walk down the hall towards the lab.  
  
As Grissom watched Catherine make her way down the hall, blond hair swinging in rhythm to her stride, he felt a huge grin appear on his face.  
  
Midway down the hall however, Catherine paused, turning to yell down the hallyway, "Only if you're cooking though!"  
  
******************************************* "Did you guys know Grissom can cook?" Greg asked popping his head into the break room.  
  
"News to me," Sara replied sipping her coffee.  
  
"I can cook too, and nobody's throwing me a party," replied a voice from the hallway.  
  
"Was that the new guy?" Nick asked craning to see where the comment had come from.  
  
"I don't like him," Sara quipped. "He's kind of obnoxious."  
  
"Kind of makes you look at me in a whole new light, doesn't it," Greg said posing like a Greek statue.  
  
"Dude, are you wearing the same shirt as Grissom?" Nick asked.  
  
"No way man," Greg replied.  
  
"Hey guys, Catherine said breezing into the break room. She tossed Greg a wink, "Nice shirt kiddo."  
  
Grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge, she continued, "Nicky, the hostess finally cracked...something about toast."  
  
"Toast?" Nick repeated, trying to piece everything together.  
  
"Yeah, you know how it goes, girl loves guy, guy loves other girl, guy is toast," Catherine replied, turning to leave.  
  
"Big plans tonight?" Greg asked with a smirk.  
  
"Now how would you know anything about that," Catherine replied coyly.  
  
"You just told me," Greg replied. As Catherine left the break room, Greg yelled down the hall, "You kids have fun now!"  
  
*******************************  
  
"I feel like I should be doing something," Catherine, as she perched a barstool in Grissom's kitchen.  
  
"Nothing for you to do Cath, it's almost ready," Grissom replied adding some seasoning to the stir fried chicken and vegetables he was preparing. He turned to get some wine glasses out of a cabinet.  
  
"I swear Gil if you keep spoiling me like this, I might ending up moving in, and then you'd be stuck with me forever," Catherine exclaimed a few minutes later, as they were eating. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she regretted them. They continued in relative quiet for the rest of the meal, resorting to idle chit-chat.  
  
************************************* "So I'll wash, you dry?" Catherine asked sauntering over to the sink  
  
"Catherine, don't worry about it," Grissom replied stacking some plates on the counter.  
  
"Don't you know I like doing dishes?" Catherine replied bumping Grissom's hip with her own in effort to make him move.  
  
"Since when?" Grissom asked teasingly.  
  
"Since it means spending quality time with you," Catherine replied, flashing him one of her dazzling smiles.  
  
"I'm sure if the new guy could cook this well, you'd say the same thing to him," Grissom said raising an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Well last I heard he can cook this well or so he says," Catherine replied, laughing slightly. "But I don't think I'd do this with the new guy."  
  
In a move that surprised both of them, Catherine wrapped her arms around Grissom's neck and leaned in for what ended up being the most electrifying kiss either of them had ever experienced.  
  
"So how about those dishes?" Catherine whispered after a few moments, her lips still tingling.  
  
"You're not getting away that easily," Grissom replied, pulling her back into his arms.  
  
Catherine sighed happily and snuggled closely into Grissom's embrace.  
  
"Cath," Grissom asked softly, savoring the feeling of her in his arms.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"If you could go anywhere in the world, do anything, where would you go and what would you do?" he asked, absentmindedly running his fingers through her blonde hair.  
  
"I would stay right here with you," Catherine said without a hint of hesitation.  
  
"Same here," Grissom replied, tipping his chin down to kiss her forehead. 


	2. Variation 2

Variation #2  
  
He looked back at the woman standing quietly beside him, "So you up for dinner?"  
  
She smiled gently, lowering her eyes for a moment, then looked up at him, with blue eyes sparkling like diamonds.  
  
"Of course," she replied, winking at him as she began to walk down the hall towards the lab.  
  
As Grissom watched Catherine make her way down the hall, blond hair swinging in rhythm to her stride, he felt a huge grin appear on his face.  
  
*******************************************************  
  
"So what's good here?" Grissom asked studying the menu at the small café.  
  
Catherine shrugged, "I always go for the grilled chicken salad."  
  
"Do you still do that?" Grissom said raising an eyebrow at her. For every year he had known her, Catherine had made a New Year's resolution to go on some sort of diet.  
  
"I'm sticking to it this time," Catherine replied. Then as Grissom shook his head, she asked, "What?"  
  
"I give you less than two minutes," Grissom said, waiting for her to turn to the last page of menu.  
  
"Since when do they serve chocolate mousse here?" Catherine muttered, practically drooling over the picture. She looked up at Grissom, who winked at her, "Don't you dare say I told you so, like you did last year."  
  
The pair offered one another a smile, then fell into a comfortable silence, pretending to look at their menu while sneaking glances at the other. As Catherine absentmindedly reached for a sugar packet, her hand grazed Grissom's. However, instead of pulling away at the unexpected touch, Grissom surprised them both by taking her slender hand into his.  
  
"You two ready to order?" asked the peppy teenage waitress.  
  
Like two teenagers themselves, Grissom and Catherine immediately let go of each others hands and proceeded to bury their eyes in the menu.  
  
"So what's new Gil?" Catherine asked once the waitress had left.  
  
"Nothing really," Grissom began with a twinkle in his eye. "Whenever I'm not at work, I've just been checking out the Discovery Channel and working on those genius-level crossword puzzles you so admire."  
  
"You don't ever intend to let me forget about that, do you?" Catherine said, allowing a strand of blonde hair to fall onto her face as she chuckled.  
  
Grissom reached over and brushed the strand from her eyes, letting his hand linger on her cheek. "Cath, why did you agree to come with me?"  
  
"Well aside from the fact that I was starving, I like spending time with you," she replied, letting herself get lost in his blue eyes. "I don't know why don't do it more often."  
  
"Catherine," Grissom began, knowing that now was the time to tell her the secret he'd been keeping for so long. The secret he hated keeping from her.  
  
"Yeah?" she replied sipping her iced tea.  
  
But before he could finish, the waitress came back with their food.  
  
"That was fast," Catherine commented.  
  
"Yeah it was," Grissom replied with a hint of sadness in his voice.  
  
***************************************  
  
After dinner, the pair had decided to take a stroll in a nearby park.  
  
"So what were you going to tell me?" Catherine asked as they sat down on a bench.  
  
"When?" Grissom said, part of him wanting so badly to tell her, the other part wishing she would forget about it.  
  
"Well you were about to tell me something right before the waitress brought our food out," Catherine said. "And it had to be somewhat serious because you had that look."  
  
"What look?" Grissom asked.  
  
"It's hard to describe really...the same look you used to get when Eddie.." She trailed off, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Gil, please, you can tell me."  
  
"I..I don't even know where to begin," Grissom said softly. But Catherine's comforting expression gave him the courage to go on, "I know I've told you about my mother, and I'm sure I may have mentioned once or twice that she's deaf."  
  
Catherine's eyes immediately widened.  
  
"Oh my god Gil," Catherine whispered. "This whole time, I was hoping that wasn't the reason why you'd been acting so strange..but after the Haviland case, I found myself wondering more and more."  
  
"I've wanted to tell you for so long Catherine, really I have," Grissom said, immediately feeling guilty for keeping something so serious from her.  
  
"I believe you," Catherine offering him a gentle smile. "And I don't want you to think you ever have to go through things like this alone Gil."  
  
"I realize that now," Grissom replied hugging her. "I couldn't have ever asked for a better friend.  
  
Catherine sighed softly and snuggled closely into Grissom's embrace.  
  
"Cath," Grissom asked softly, savoring the feeling of her in his arms.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"If you could go anywhere in the world, do anything, where would you go and what would you do?" he asked, absentmindedly running his fingers through her blonde hair.  
  
"I would stay right here with you," Catherine said without a hint of hesitation.  
  
"Same here," Grissom replied, tipping his chin down to kiss her forehead. 


	3. Variation 3

Variation #3  
  
He looked back at the woman standing quietly beside him, "So you up for dinner?"  
  
She smiled gently, lowering her eyes for a moment, then looked up at him, with blue eyes sparkling like diamonds.  
  
"Of course," she replied, winking at him as she began to walk down the hall towards the lab.  
  
As Grissom watched Catherine make her way down the hall, blond hair swinging in rhythm to her stride, he felt a huge grin appear on his face.  
  
*****************************************************  
  
"You know I've never been one to doubt you Gil," Catherine as she stared out the window of the Tahoe. "But it seems to me that we've been driving for an awfully long time in the opposite direction of restaurants and well, anything resembling civilization."  
  
"Patience grasshopper," Grissom replied, his eyes searching off into the horizon for something Catherine couldn't yet determine. "All will be revealed soon. Now for the time being, I need you to close your eyes."  
  
"You wish is my command master," Catherine said giving him a wink before she closed her eyes. After a few minutes she felt the car stop.  
  
"I'll be right back," Grissom said tenderly touching her cheek.  
  
"My eyes are still supposed to be closed right?" Catherine asked, wondering what he could possibly be up to.  
  
"Only for a few more minutes," Grissom replied.  
  
Catherine sat in the Tahoe wondering where in the world Grissom had decided to take them for dinner. He had been very cryptic about the whole thing when he had picked her up at home after work. Before she could think about it anymore, Catherine felt the passenger door of the Tahoe open.  
  
"Open your eyes," Grissom whispered softly into her ear.  
  
Catherine opened her eyes to be greeted with the beginnings of a spectacular desert sunset.  
  
"Oh wow, Gil this is.." She began, but found herself unable to come up with the words needed to describe the sight. She allowed Grissom to take her hand and lead her out of the Tahoe to a picnic blanket he'd spread out a few feet away.  
  
"How did you have time to get all this together after work," Catherine said sitting down beside him. "I was only home for about half an hour before you showed up."  
  
"Well a little advance planning helps Catherine," Grissom quipped unpacking the picnic basket.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
A few hours later, as the stars came out, Grissom lay on his back staring at the sky. Catherine was stretched out next to him, propped up on one elbow.  
  
"So how long have you been planning this Gil?" Catherine asked leaning towards him, her blue eyes sparkling.  
  
"For, uhm, a while," Grissom said, hoping he wasn't blushing.  
  
"How long is a while?" Catherine asked softly, as she moved closer to him.  
  
"Well we've know each other for how long now?" Grissom replied, knowing that he was now blushing.  
  
"And you've...all this time.." Catherine said feeling her eyes brimming up with tears.  
  
"Cath, I can barely remember a time when I didn't feel the way I do about you," Grissom replied pulling her close to him.  
  
"I had hoped for so long, but there was Eddie and." she began, letting him wrap his arms around her.  
  
"You had no way of knowing," Grissom replied.  
  
"You're right," Catherine sighed softly and snuggled closely into Grissom's embrace.  
  
"Cath," Grissom asked softly, savoring the feeling of her in his arms.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"If you could go anywhere in the world, do anything, where would you go and what would you do?" he asked, absentmindedly running his fingers through her blonde hair.  
  
"I would stay right here with you," Catherine said without a hint of hesitation.  
  
"Same here," Grissom replied, tipping his chin down to kiss her forehead. 


End file.
